DARN GOOD TARN!
We should be able to visit France soon — and this charming region is one of its best-kept secrets
THere’S something about that classic image of an old French country home — with pale blue shutters, whitewashed walls, brocante furniture and a sun-dappled garden. Throw in an inviting pool set within gardens wafting lavender and herbs and I’m all set to hit the ‘booking’ tab.
Now we’re looking for the house, Château Labarthe, in the heart of France’s Tarn region, to the east of Toulouse, south of the better-known Dordogne and Lot. And we’re lost.
It was already going to be a late arrival but lovely owner Isabelle insisted she would stay up to meet us. Just after midnight, our satnav told us we were in the tiny hamlet of LabartheBleys, but it was pitch black and we could not see a thing. Several detours later, we finally arrived.
The house was simple but tasteful. The next morning we checked out that pool. It is in the grounds of Isabelle’s (and husband Pierre’s) home, but they use it infrequently, so it was ours most of the time.
That lunchtime, as we sat on our shady terrace, my husband, John, and I did our usual musings, imagining what it would be like to live somewhere like this.
‘Boring’, came the rude retort from our two teens. Indeed, I guess for them it would be. For a holiday, however, it was perfect.
We were all after a relaxing time — sunshine, swimming, food, books. But after a couple of days of doing very little, everyone was ready to venture out.
The Tarn is a relatively unknown part of France, with scenery that’s astonishingly beautiful — all rolling wooded countryside, dramatic gorges and hilltop towns.
And fortunately, France is set to be included in the first wave of airbridge deals which will be announced today, enabling UK tourists to holiday in the country from as early as Monday.
rather conveniently, the poster girl of hilltop towns, Cordes-SurCiel (believed to be the first bastide village in France, dating from 1222) was just a ten-minute drive from us. Sur ciel means ‘on the sky’ — it’s so called because of the way the town seems to float above the clouds that rise up from the river valley below.
As we climbed the twisty-turny streets and alleyways, shops — galleries, craft shops, jewellers and the like — provided a good excuse for us to catch our breath. In the main square at the top, we set to work on the local duck cassoulet and Gaillac wine to stoke us for the walk back down.
There are many more walled hilltop towns and villages in the area — originally built to help the people of the local Cathar religion defend themselves against persecution by the Catholics. Tiny Puycelsi, also one of the 159 ‘Plus Beaux Villages de
France’ was the one that captured out hearts.
Our car crawled up the hill to get there, but we were just thankful it wasn’t our legs taking the strain.
The views from the ramparts were exquisite and we drank them in along with gin and tonics on a bar terrace. The village itself is full of cute houses, shops, restaurants and a pretty church.
On another day, an entertaining few hours were spent on the Aveyron river. even the canoeing here is relaxed.
we set off from Saint Antonin Noble Val before meandering the six-mile route. Little weirs and rapids caused an occasional frisson, but mostly it was a serene experience, with limestone cliffs and verdant countryside.
A riverside beach was the perfect spot to dive into our picnic and have a swim. Then a minibus whisked us back to the start.
Albi is the ‘capital’ of the Tarn. Its main square is lined with restaurant terraces and the Toulouse-Lautrec
museum is housed in the Berbie Palace, one of France’s oldest castles. The world’s largest public collection of work by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (born in the city), includes risqué paintings of Parisian brothels and Moulin rouge dancers.
Next door is Albi’s vast, redbrick cathedral, whose austere exterior belies the colourful interior, with its huge murals.
There was so much still to see in the Tarn. Maybe next time we will visit some of the vineyards or hike up Mount Barre. Or maybe that pool will just prove too inviting.